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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22940020">"I Don't Want You to Change"</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Criminal_Author/pseuds/Criminal_Author'>Criminal_Author</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Emrys File [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Merlin (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>(insert other relevent tags here), F/M, Ghosts?, Post-Canon, Post-Magic Reveal, Season 5 Spoilers, don't read if you haven't watched season 5, emrys reveal, might be sad</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 10:07:29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,147</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22940020</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Criminal_Author/pseuds/Criminal_Author</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>[spoilers for season 5 I don't know if people still need this but I hate spoiling things]</p><p> </p><p>Arthur is reunited with everyone, but one person is missing and he doesn't know why...</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Gwen/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Knights of the Round Table &amp; Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Knights of the Round Table &amp; Merlin (Merlin), Merlin &amp; Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Emrys File [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1639003</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>183</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>"I Don't Want You to Change"</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Arthur opened his eyes. Well, he didn’t. Rather, he became aware of his surroundings. His consciousness seemed to be floating, as if suspended in water. He could sense presences around him, vague figures also floating with him. They suddenly came into clearer focus. Three men, a boy, and two women.</p><p>“Ah, the princess awakens!”</p><p>“Gwaine?” Arthur said or thought, he wasn’t sure.</p><p>“That’s right,” the figure said. When Gwaine’s form “spoke”, it lit up according to the volume of the words if they had been actually said.</p><p>“How? Where?” Arthur couldn’t form the thought. It came out more as a confused feeling.</p><p>“Avalon,” one of the women said. She stepped forward and Arthur got a good look at her. She seemed familiar, but he couldn’t remember why. “You are in the spirit realm. One day, Arthur, you will reawaken and rejoin the world. But for now, you must rest.”</p><p>“Maybe,” Arthur replied, no less confused than he was before. He turned his thoughts to Gwaine. “How did you get here?”</p><p>“Well, it’s simple. I was foolish and went after Morgana. She killed me.”</p><p>Arthur felt a surge of some sort of emotion coming from the other woman. That’s when he recognized her. “You.”</p><p>“Took you long enough, brother.” Morgana’s words were laced with bitterness and rage.</p><p>“How is she here?” Arthur directed these thoughts to the other woman.</p><p>“She still has an important part to play. She will return with you when the time comes.”</p><p>“Why can’t you just keep her here?” Morgana’s figure growled.</p><p>The other woman smiled at Arthur’s question. “If I could, I would. It would definitely save much sorrow.”</p><p>Arthur decided not to overthink that. He moved on to the next thought that was on his mind.</p><p>“Who else is here?”</p><p>“Elyan and Lancelot,” Gwaine replied, indicating each. “And Mordred.”</p><p>Arthur looked at the figure of Mordred. “Why did you do it?”</p><p>“You killed the woman I loved. You had to pay for it, Arthur.” When Mordred spoke, the water in which Arthur was suspended seemed to ripple around him. He shivered and felt a sudden and intense pain flare up in his chest. He screwed up his eyes, trying to fight off the pain.</p><p>When he opened them again, there was a new presence. A very familiar presence.</p><p>“Gaius?”</p><p> “It is I, sire.” Gaius’s thoughts where as comforting to Arthur as his voice had been. But suddenly a thought seized his mind and Arthur went cold.</p><p>“How’s Merlin?” Arthur feared the answer, but he needed to know how his friend had taken everything.</p><p>Gaius paused for what seemed like an eternity.</p><p>“He came back to Camelot,” Gaius finally said. “He talked with only Gwen for the first few weeks and didn’t say much to others. He wasn’t seen much either. He was opening up over the last few months, but I doubt I’ve helped in any way…”</p><p>Gaius trailed off, sadness engulfing his form.</p><p>“Don’t worry,” Gwaine said, “Merlin’s strong. He’ll survive.”</p><p>“He’d better,” Gaius replied in a sorrowful tone. “You may not know this, but he’s lost more than most men can bear.”</p><p>“How is Guinevere?” Arthur dreaded to ask this question as much as the last, but, again, he needed to know.</p><p>“She rules well, sire. Leon and Percival help as much as they can and now that Merlin is there, the kingdom is safe.”</p><p>“Good.” Arthur sighed with relief.</p><p>Elyan fidgeted before projecting his thoughts. “Gaius, how would having Merlin make the kingdom safer?”</p><p>Gaius and Arthur exchanged looks. Neither of them wanted to say anything, Arthur realised. It wasn’t theirs to tell; and Arthur still had to come to terms with Merlin’s magic.</p><p>Mordred beat them to any answer.</p><p>“Merlin is Emrys, the most powerful sorcerer to ever live.”</p><p>Again, pain flared in Arthur’s chest. As his mind dimmed, he heard Gwaine and Elyan laughing at the prospect of Merlin being a powerful sorcerer.</p><p>When Arthur finally became aware of himself again, there where at least two more presences. This time, he was able to identify them without question.</p><p>“Leon! Percival!” Arthur called out urgently. To have the last two for his knight arrive at the same time was not a good sign. “How is it that you come together?”</p><p>“Sire,” Leon said respectfully, “The Saxons may have been vanquished that day at Camlann, but they grew in strength once more. They have laid siege to Camelot. We fought against them, but both Percival and I were overcome by their sheer number, as were many of Camelot’s knights. I am unsure if Camelot has fallen or not.”</p><p>“What of Guinevere?” Arthur’s thoughts flitted to the knights, frantically looking for an answer.</p><p>“Merlin was with her last I checked,” replied Percival heavily.</p><p>Arthur relaxed. “Good.”</p><p> </p><p>Time passed but they were unable to tell whether years had gone by or minutes. Mordred and Morgana eventually drifted away from the Arthur, Gaius, and the Knights. Arthur knew they’d be back. The Lady had told him they would return with him.</p><p>At some point, Arthur became aware of a very familiar and welcoming presence at his side. He shifted his attention to the new presence and realised who it was.</p><p>“Guinevere!” If he could have embraced her, he would’ve never let go. Instead, he filled his thoughts with his happiness and directed them toward her.</p><p>“Arthur,” came her response. It was filled with joy and love, but heavy from years of suffering.</p><p>“I’m sorry, Guinevere,” Arthur said, sorrow entering his mind. “If I could have stayed, I would have.”</p><p>“It’s not your fault, Arthur,” Guinevere comforted him, “but if it makes you feel better, I forgive you.”</p><p>Gwaine interrupted their reunion. “Where’s Merlin?”</p><p>Gwen’s presence seemed to shift uncomfortably. “He’s still there. He said he’d be alright but…I wish there was something I could do!”</p><p>“Guinevere!” Arthur hastened to console her. “Merlin will be fine! I’m sure he’ll go back to Ealdor where his friends are—”</p><p>“Arthur you don’t understand!” Gwen shouted. At least, it would’ve been a shout. Instead, her thoughts simply rattled in their minds, creating a similar effect. “He told me he was going to wait. I didn’t know what he meant until I got here. He’s waiting for us, Arthur! For you!”</p><p>“What? Gaius! What does this mean?”</p><p>Gaius hesitated before responding. “When Merlin returned to Camelot, he told me some things that had happened since he left. He told me that he finally understood the meaning of the Druids’ name for him: Emrys. The name means…immortal.”</p><p>There was dead silence.</p><p>Then everything came crashing down on Arthur. Merlin, his best friend, the most stupidly loyal person on earth, was going to wait for Arthur’s return no matter how long it took.</p><p>And Arthur told him not to change.</p><p>Arthur sighed heavily.</p><p>When he saw Merlin again, he was going to apologize to him. For everything.</p>
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